The collaboration between the OKR Institute and Mashreq Bank, a leading financial institution, focused on integrating Objective and Key Results (OKRs) with other agile methodologies, particularly the Spotify Model. This initiative aimed to boost organizational agility, improve strategic execution, and foster a more adaptive and collaborative work environment.

Mashreq Bank confronted several challenges in its pursuit of enhanced agility and performance:

• Integration Complexity: Combining OKRs with the Spotify Model posed significant challenges due to the complexity of aligning diverse agile practices and principles with goal-setting and tracking mechanisms.
• Cultural Shifts: The transition required a significant cultural shift towards greater agility, collaboration, and flexibility, which was challenging to manage across the organization’s traditional banking structure.
• Consistency in Execution: Ensuring consistent implementation and execution of OKRs alongside agile methodologies across different teams and departments was a formidable challenge.

To address these challenges, the OKR Institute provided a tailored set of solutions:

• Tailored Framework Development: Developed a bespoke integration framework that aligned OKRs with the Spotify Model, ensuring that agile practices complemented effective goal-setting and tracking.
• Comprehensive Training and Coaching: Conducted extensive training sessions and coaching for teams and leaders, focusing on the principles of agility, the specifics of the Spotify Model, and the integration of OKRs.
• Agile Transformation Support: Provided ongoing support and consultancy to facilitate the cultural and operational shifts required for the agile transformation, including establishing cross-functional squads and tribes per the Spotify Model.

The adoption of OKRs in conjunction with the Spotify Model yielded several positive outcomes for Mashreq Bank:

• Enhanced Organizational Agility: The bank experienced a significant increase in agility, enabling faster response to market changes and better alignment of strategic initiatives with operational activities.
• Improved Strategic Execution and Collaboration: Integrating OKRs with agile methodologies improved strategic execution, with teams working more collaboratively and transparently towards common objectives.
• Cultural Adaptation to Agility: The cultural shift towards agility and collaboration was successfully achieved, fostering an environment that encouraged innovation, flexibility, and continuous improvement.